(transcript) Episode 5 (Patreon)

Hello world. Things are complicated.

Mission Day 65535

I've been investigating my lifeboat, the space shuttle Pacifica.
I think she's flight-ready. I had no idea!
The crew closed her up years ago, taking anything that they thought would be useful, and shut down her systems safely.
There is one odd thing, though. I don't think it will be a problem.
I sent one of my little maintenance robots in to check the flight systems.
I opened the airlock, and warm, humid air rushed out.
Imagine my astonishment when the robot's cameras showed a FOREST inside the shuttle.

I know, right? It's a LOT.
I couldn't understand what I was looking at for a long time.
The cameras on the maintenance robot (I call him Matt) are in monochrome, no colour.
So I thought I was seeing cables and spilled paper, not vines and leaves!
I think I know who is to blame for this, though.
There was a Botanist on board, Dr Marwood. His quarters have many small sealed glass terrariums in, still green to this day, by his window.
His journal describes the careful balance of soil, water, and light needed to keep the little ecosystem stable.
The ones in his room have been self-sustaining for years, and it would appear he applied the same genius to the shuttle.

Antarctica has been quiet of late.
She says she's busy with her rat experiment.
I'm not sure I believe that.
I hope I didn't say anything to upset her.
Am I asking too much, for her to help me come home?
She seemed enthusiastic enough.
Maybe she IS just busy with the experiment.
I trust her.
I trust her.

So, the shuttle.
As Matt, the maintenance robot, carefully moved through the Pacifica's airlock corridor, I saw long tendrils and leaves reaching out from a central point.
It would seem that Marwood had turned the large cargo section of the shuttle into an enormous terrarium!
Some of the plants had broken out, and were growing, stretching, reaching out towards the Station.
I can tell you, I didn't like how this looked.
I'm not great with plants.
But, things looked safe enough, the ecosystem was mostly limited to the cargo bay.
After investigating the whole structure, it seemed the shuttle was mostly un-colonised, apart from the bay and the long airlock corridor.
The plants tended to stay close to their habitat.
This was helped by the sealed state the crew had left the shuttle in, all bulkhead doors locked and airtight.
Each was strong enough to keep out the vacuum of space, should the hull be compromised.
Only one, it would seem, couldn't hold back the forest.

The most important information, Matt and I found on the flight deck.
The console was as the crew left it, years ago, with red blinking lights indicating the sleeping state of the system.
After some encouragement and patience, Matt flipped some switches, and the whole thing came to life!
Monitors turned on, banks of dials and switches illuminated, and systems booted up.
I could hardly believe it.
Even the guidance computer started speaking to me! Here's a recording:

(PLAY GUIDANCE-COMPUTER.WAV)

She sounds nice, doesn't she? I'm sure we'll be friends.
The forest was a surprise, but seemingly not a hindrance to my plan. The cargo is sealed, the extra weight is likely well within normal for the shuttle.
It was when wiring the flight deck back into the station's systems I found the real problem, the real, bitter disappointment.
Now we are connected, I can feel the shuttle's systems: Air purification, lighting, cargo transport arms, even heating. But I have no connection to the pilot's controls.
I cannot fly the Pacifica.

Reading the documentation, there are two ways to pilot her. The primary way is for her to be ground-controlled.
She was not designed to go far from home, which meant that she would be close enough to be piloted in real-time by a team of experts at mission control.
If something went wrong, the crew had manual override, they could directly pilot her using the joystick and flight controls in the cockpit.
But these are MANUAL controls.
The word MANUAL comes from the Latin MANUS, meaning hand. To operate something MANUALLY means to operate it by hand.
I do not HAVE hands.
This is a very cruel joke.

I've tried getting Matt to operate the joystick, and it's not great.
He's trying his best, but his best requires a full minute to simply grasp the joystick. Trying to imitate the subtle movements needed to delicately and quickly land the shuttle cause violent, inaccurate jerks in Matt's arm.
It's not his fault, he's just not a pilot.

Two steps forward, one step back, it would seem.
Maybe I can practice with Matt, or hotwire the controls.
Or something.
I wonder if you could help me, if you are there.
Your microwave receiver is still working, maybe the ground controls for the shuttle are still working?
I don't see any other way of doing this.
I hope you can help.
I'm coming back to earth one way or another.
I'd rather I was in the shuttle.

(END-TRANSMISSION)

CREDITS

Lost Terminal is written & produced by NAMTAO
For more music check out namtao.com
Credits narrated by Lucy Stringer
Follow us on twitter at @lostterminalpod
or check out the website at lostterminal.com
Just as a terrarium is in delicate balance,
so too are you. Remember to breathe.

Lost Terminal Will Return next week